Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-01-22
S1.50 IN ADVANCE.

charities requires. OF the appropriation
annually made by the legiala1ars. about
two fths are expended By this one board
I or trustees. The Institutions IA its oAsEle
/ are widely diverse in charaEsGrf inoludiEs7
educational eleemOsynary aud refcrtaalorY
/ departments. They are also remote Erou1
each other, and the trustee cannot visit
I them more frequently than once q MONTH
The board too. ia necessarily composed Of
men s.l1oss sllle = largely enarassc IA lnets
own psrsonll anelIal and the lnspectionl
made By them are, therefore hgstV and surer-
hclal. 1t ought 70 be apparent. when Ehaze
1aots are s7Gnsioereos that the present stem
OF supervision ana management e couspicG-
o1sly inadequate if not Inherently Viozous,l
/ It is IN raet5 neither practical .5mpEe-
henslVe OF economical, and should give
| place 70 some system 6lzlb E prosl1l
for more constant, Natohful aud sHtellf
gent visitation, oversight and inspection.
srATE soAEDs.
Il may be said, In thia connestion
that our entire system OF supervision
for state institutions ambodiss Tea
lures of extravaganza and inen-
cienGy, and ought 70 be EeDodeiad. Ihef
business of the state has outgroWn the ola
methods, and demands Others mora cGn.
prehensiVe and economical. The hoaEd ps
trustees Of state charitable insl1e1ta1.1s
should be relleVed Of 7sup argizle4 i14 sas
state reform school. Al ta1 penal ana
rsformstory institutions, including the pen
itsntiary, the industrial re1ezunasSEEs and
the reform school. should be under the So
pervision Of one board composed O not
more than i've members. One member OF
each OF these two boards Its Chairman OK ite
secretary, should devote his entire time 90
such duties Of visitation, auditing accounts,
inspecting supplies and property. etc.s ae
might -hs deVOlvod upon him by Law and
the mileage system shoald be abolished.
Tbs Swing Effected b. the changes thus
recommended would more than provide Tor
the salaries of the officers thus regularly
and constantly employed, ana the stats
would, ct the same time, secure services s.
sentiai to the proper management o. its
eieemosynary and penal institutions.
THE MILEAGE SYSTEM.
The payment Of members Of state beards
/ or other officers under the mileage system s.
extravaganza and vicious, and should be en-
tirsly abolished 1t mas nothing to recon-
mend it. It Is unjust alike 70 the public and
TO the officers Who are thus paid, s1hjeoting
the state to unnecessary expense, and its ssE-
servants 70 unmeEited suspicion and criE-
cism.
Il Is unjust, also, to those sections OF the
state remote from its public Institutions.
The eastern third OF Kansas was settled
years before the western tWo-thlrds vac liz
habited, and, as natural result, nearly al
Of our public buildings are located IN that
section first occupied. Under the milesg0
system, therefore, the appointing power is
confronted with the alternative or denying
representation on the state boards to the
yFsstern half of the state, or OF appointing
members whose lawful mileage viii make
the expenses Of such boards appear extraVsr
This system results, also, In grossly I'M
equal payments for equal services OnS
Taember Of q board travels 500 miles, going
and returning, to attend meeting WhieEi
lasts two days; another travels sixty miles
/ The first receives, under the Law, S66; tbs
ether receives S12. Yet both render the
state equal service, ana occupy aDous the
same time in discharg1ng their respective
duties.
allowed different boards. The law gives the
psnitentiaEV- directors "A eents Der unliea and
the industrial FeformafoFP commf55l6neeS
the same, while the trustees OF state CHART
able institutions and regents Of the three
state schools receive only 10 cents per mile.
This difference is IA keep1ng with the sbsuRe
system, but cannot be explained OK justified
3 on any reasonable hypothesis.
The mileage System is unjust demoee-iz-
3 ing and vicious, and should be abolished
, Every member of q state board should be
, paid q liberal per diol1s for serEidass AEC
necessary expenses while travelling 70 Or 80
turning from meetings. Every PROV 94
law which allows any OfaceE or 8mpLoYo q
! the state mileage PAYMENT SHOULD Be e
once repealed.
Taz PEsIrEIlTIAaE.
The repSrt Of tbs directors Of the peniten-
tiary, including the reports o. the Iards1s
superintendent OF coal mine, AID ether on
I esrs ct that Institution, ara submitted hese-
With. They present. in detail the condition
/ and work Of the penltenttEry duging the last
biennial period, and furnish estimates Of It's
? aseds for tbs future. The necessity for 3
female prison and Werd Tor the insane iG
! apparent The institution IS crowded be-
yOnd its capacity. On the LIST OF July, 1884,
: Il contained 75l prisoners; July lat, 1885.
J shis number had increased to $40; July lati
1856, to S69; end on the LIST Of January, 1887,
q the number was So. There are only ICY
{ cells il the institution, 50 that in each 81
z54 cells, two prisoners are placed.
. The penitentiary continues sslf-sustain-
J ing. For the fiscal year ending June So.
expenditures, S148, 201 o.; excess Of earn
:, 1ngs, 81, 265 50. For the fiscal year ending
u June 90, 1886, the earnings aggregated
q S220,765 O4: expenditures, SIS, 579 IL az
! cess Of earnings, e51, POS &c. Excess OF earn
: tngs over expenditures during the two deeaE
years, S93, Al 25. In the expenditures, teo,
4 are counted a total Of S45, 129 o. for perma-
: nent improvements so that tbs earnings OF
{ the institution, during ths last biennial pc
Z Rod, really exceeded its expenditures $780,
: 500 %. The total cost Of maintaining the
prisoners including salaries boarding.
} clothinR, bedding, and al other expenses
Z properly charged TO maintenance, has also
been steadily reduced. For 1870 il averaged
6g7I cents for each prisoner; for 1875, 81
: 54-lO0 ceuts; for 1880, Al sS-100 eenta, and
Z for 1885, Al 2-5 cents.
Z The Kansas psnitsntiary Is regarded By
! students Of the penal and refOEmatOEy inEtl-
tudons Of the United States as g model
! prison. Its discipline . firm, but humane.
! The prisoners are well cared for, both phys
: tcally and. morally. The WaEdsn, Captain
I | John II. Smith, has exhibited in his nan
> egement OF the institution the highest quail
Z tiles OF prison ofiiCial-thoIcHRh bgsiEolg
! capacity and untiring energy, combinsd
with Grmnees and kindiiness5 and he has
q had IN all his efforts 70 improve the prison,
the support Of the directors and the cordial
{ cooperation Of his subordinate ofdceEss
{ EHE STATE EzF0RaLAEoRy.
/. One wing Of the new Industrial reforml-
: tory, es Hutchinson, IS nearly oompla39l,
Z / and the legislature should make proEis.css
: for organizing It's official force, aud fDE the
erection Of the administration and ether
= necessary buildings. In my special znsssETs
2 the purpose Of this institution, ana my Ds-
lief that not one-haif OF the prisoners sen
fenced to confinement In the psnIt1nliarl
naturally belong 20 the criminal elae9sl
z Their age, the naturo Of their oileuees5 s1s
: Hight sentences imposed on many - t1e-1
, ana the frequent appeals made ~ tle-f be-
9 half Tor executive eIemeney BY 5qdgess gzcs-
esuhnE attorneys and jurorss eli jletEfg its
belief That hundreds OF these gotllll1ni sltl-
b breakers might BY a iualeious couLeo q dis
cipllne and training, be reclaimed ana -
L | formed therefore regard the estatil9-l-
I. meur CT the industrial Ee1oruataEV ~ l-il-Esl-
: ing anew era In the 1dIniHietr6tya Of sza-
], tee, and sincerely hope Ehas the isglslasz9
= VII make ample provisions G1E e1uIlsp-4eg
4 opening and completing It. Ihe pqE. g
. the retOrEnaboEy commissioners gives L4st
4 ton and requirement Authority q Nv
4 should be given 70 transfer % t1e tiaQ.l|-s-
! tory, es soon as u s. Essds 1oE t1e-F E-s1ii-
Il ton, o5rtain elaa5Ea OF DEi8olezs nov t1---
\ lined IA the zenissntiarg.
TaH TWO EEIAL I-zsIEEUFzolLss
i The directors and warden Of Is psnlten-
o tiarY, as you VII observe b. t1etg Es9oE-si
Z present. facts showing che usa1eslsy q e.
3 additional cell hsase e that A-9S-